


Cement

by VampireNaomi



Category: Lupin III
Genre: Christmas, Established Relationship, M/M, Nostalgia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:07:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28452123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampireNaomi/pseuds/VampireNaomi
Summary: Albert is restless at Christmas.
Relationships: Albert d'Andrésy/Tickey Pasco
Kudos: 5





	Cement

**Author's Note:**

> The idea that Albert and Gaston are related is something I grabbed from [Labarch.](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Labarch/pseuds/Labarch) They’ve done great things with the concept in their fics. Check them out!

All done. 

Unfortunately.

Albert was standing in the living room with his hands on his hips, the sleeves of his sweater rolled up to his elbows, and tried to think of anything he may have forgotten. He’d dusted the furniture, mopped the floors, reorganized everything that needed it, cleaned the toilet and changed the bedding. It was a long list, especially since his apartment was on the larger side, but the whole operation had taken him only some four hours.

The main reason was that he hated clutter, so he never let things pile up in the first place and didn’t have anything in his apartment that he didn’t need. The second was that he’d been so busy lately that he’d only come home to sleep, so there hadn’t been much disorder to deal with.

In fact, most of the messes he’d found were Tickey’s. He’d left some clothes lying around and had a habit of drinking mint tea in the living room and then not taking the glass back to the kitchen. Everything littering the bathroom sink was his as Albert always put things back in the cabinet after using them. There were more signs of him living there than Albert, and anyone would have made the assumption it was actually Tickey’s home.

Keeping his living space minimal and tidy had started as a practical habit back when he’d been a thief. If you had to disappear quickly, it was better to leave as few traces of yourself behind as possible. You were less likely to forget something important or not find it in the rush of the moment when everything wasn’t covered in dirty clothes, take-out boxes and beer cans, as he’d told Lupin every time he’d made the mistake of poking his nose into his hideouts. Albert could have relaxed a little in his current life, but he still had secrets, and thinking like a thief was in his blood.

One thing that had changed, he supposed with a wry smile, was that he’d learned to like cleaning up after someone else. He was happy to spot proof of Tickey’s presence in his apartment.

They hadn’t talked about Tickey moving in, but in practice they were already half-way there. His hours as a freelancer were more flexible, and the two of them had settled into a habit of Tickey waiting for Albert to come home from work if they had plans and spending the night afterwards, often multiple in a row.

Tickey still rented his own place, but it was starting to become an office of sorts. It was handy for storing equipment, and he said he liked the structure it gave to his life to do most of his editing work there. It helped to separate work and free time if he could close the door on his projects and walk away.

Free time was the exact problem Albert was dealing with right now. It was two days before Christmas, and he’d taken some time off work. The only obligation he had was to show his face at the justice minister’s party a few days later. He’d assumed Tickey would have time off, too, so he hadn’t asked until it was too late. It had taken all of his acting skills not to show his disappointment when Tickey had said he’d booked his calendar full. He’d sounded so pleased with himself.

Albert had no right to be annoyed. Christmas was a great time for a photographer to make some money, especially for one who didn’t celebrate it and wasn’t missing anything by working around the clock. Normally, it was Albert whose work came between them and ruined their plans, and he’d lost count how many times Tickey had just rolled his eyes but not said anything.

He’d just have to find something to do by himself. Albert was the kind of person who needed something productive to do or he got fidgety. Procrastinating was an alien concept to him. It was entirely thanks to that that he’d been able to work on a degree while also running around the world being a thief, both of which were pursuits that alone would take up almost anyone else’s entire schedule.

Now that the apartment was spotless, he decided to go out and run the few errands he had on his list. He and Tickey weren’t exchanging gifts, but he’d treat himself to a bottle of good wine and a box of chocolates. It was enough. All the hassle around the holidays had always just annoyed him. 

Gaston had never stopped inviting him to Christmas dinner even after he’d given up thieving and cut off all contact. This was the first year there wouldn’t be a card from him. The thought caused an unexpected pang of melancholy, not quite strong enough to be regret but enough to make him pause as he was dodging puddles of water on his way through a park. 

There was no family left that wanted anything to do with him, and the feeling was mutual. He had friends, mostly through his contacts in the government, but none so close that he’d bother them at Christmas. He didn’t know when he’d get to see his boyfriend next, and he didn’t want to ask because Tickey might cancel some work commitment to be with him if he thought he was lonely. Albert didn’t want that so that he wouldn’t have to feel guilty when he didn’t do the same in return.

And he wasn’t lonely. He just wasn’t sure what to do with himself and the sudden blank pages in his calendar. He guessed he could go back to work after all, but the clean-up after the Shake Hanz incident was nearly finished, and there wasn’t anything else that needed his immediate attention. Ling had gone into hiding out of the country to wait for the dust to settle. Albert had decided to lie low for a while as well. Being constantly in the public eye would turn against him. It was better to be an honest police director for a while.

There was a small Christmas market on the other side of the park, and he decided to drop by before it started raining. It was a warm day, and the chances of getting any snow for Christmas were slim. He didn’t normally care for it, but he now wondered if it would have lifted his spirits a little.

It was such a stupid thought that he almost laughed at himself. He hadn’t liked snow even as a kid and had stayed inside with a book or some project whenever possible. He’d enjoyed sports just fine, but any activity that got him cold or wet wasn’t worth the effort.

The market looked a little bleak in daylight, but everyone around him looked happy. He had time to stop to look at stands that sold items that didn’t interest him at all, like homemade candles and flowers. He walked past traditional wooden toys and wondered if children even played with them these days when everyone had a phone or a tablet, or if it was just adults acting out of some sense of longing when they bought them.

Like he was one to talk. The longer he spent around the stands, listening to the happy chatter of the people and the barrel organ that someone was playing, surrounded by the scent of pastries and hot wine, the more tempted he was to go back to the candle stand and buy one for no reason. He imagined how stupid he’d feel once back at home if he gave in to that temptation and decided to be on his way.

Once he got away from the market, it was easier to think like himself again. He got his wine and chocolates and knew there was no reason not to go home. If cooking had been something he enjoyed in any capacity, he might have tried his luck at making something complex and traditional now that he had the time, but he’d rather be bored than miserable. It’d be wiser to make something easy and quick and read a book for the rest of the day.

He was walking past the display window of a toy store when something in it caught his eye and made him slow down. There was a selection of model kits stacked on top of each other and a few finished pieces on display. Nothing complicated, just vintage cars and tanks, but he stopped to look at them anyway.

He’d liked building things like that as a kid, but only for a few years, back when the idea of living up to a legacy he didn’t care about had been something for the distant future. Models had no practical purpose, and he’d eventually become fascinated by gadgets that he could make do something, like watches and pens with a hidden blade. It was one of the few things where he and Lupin saw eye to eye and could talk about without growing annoyed with each other.

Come to think of it, he should work on something like that. The cufflinks he’d made had saved his life when José’s assassins had attacked him. He’d worn them in case Lupin got too close, but tricks like that were useful against anyone. It’d be a better use of this time than wandering in the streets and looking at toys.

He made it almost fifty meters from the store before he turned back. Just to look again, he thought to himself, not happy with the underlying reason that had caught a hold of him. He knew exactly what it was about the model kits that was bothering him, and it did nothing but annoy him even further.

Twenty minutes later, he was on his way back home again, but this time with a bag containing the kit for a Citroën SM, some paint, brushes, glue and other tools that he wasn’t sure he had in his study. He didn’t know if he could even build the model at home since he didn’t want the smell of paint to get stuck on anything, but at least he’d scratched his itch by getting the damn thing.

Albert threw the bag from the toy shop on the kitchen counter when he got back home. Now that he was in familiar surroundings again, he regretted buying it, as he’d guessed would happen. 

“Being aware of it doesn’t make a man immune to stupid sentimentalism,” he muttered and tore his scarf off his neck.

***

It was getting close to nine at night when his phone began to buzz and made him look up from his book. Tickey was calling, and Albert let the book fall to the floor in his haste to answer.

“Yes?”

“Hey, sorry, but are you doing anything right now?”

“Nothing important. Why?”

Tickey laughed, but he didn’t sound amused. “My employer kicked me out, and the friend who was going to pick me up can’t come early. So I wondered -”

“What? What happened?”

“I’ll tell you later. Do you have time to come get me?”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Where are you?”

Tickey gave him an address. Albert had a coat on and was out the door by the time they ended the call. It’d take him almost an hour to get to the villa Tickey had described, which was plenty of time to get angry as he imagined what could have possibly happened. He didn’t know the details of the job Tickey was doing that night, but most likely it was some kind of a party.

His assumption turned out to be correct when he reached the right street and saw all the cars lined up alongside it. It was a battle to get close, but thankfully he didn’t have to try to find space to park. Tickey was waiting for him in front of the gates, and Albert just stopped in the middle of the street for the minute they needed to get his bags and tripod in the backseat.

“Good riddance,” Tickey muttered as he sank on the passenger seat.

Albert looked at the villa to see if anyone was coming out. He could hear music, and all the lights were on, but not a person was in sight, not even to make sure Tickey made it to the car in one piece with all his equipment.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Start driving first. I want to get out of here.”

Albert did so, and for a while they sat in silence as he kept his eyes on the road and Tickey rubbed his hands together to make them warm.

“Did you have to wait outside?” Albert asked.

“It’s above freezing. It’s no big deal.”

Albert stopped the car and turned to glare at him. “Of course it’s a big deal! They can’t hire you and then treat you like that. What happened?”

Tickey asked him to keep on driving and then began to tell him how a reality TV star with hopes of getting his big break in the film industry had hired him to take promotional photos at his Christmas party. The problem was, some of the guests hadn’t caught on that the star was trying to host a classy party, and soon enough there had been enough drunken mayhem that he’d gotten scared the whole thing would blow up in his face.

“He told me to get out before things got too wild. I think he was worried I’d get some juicy shots and sell them to magazines. There was at least one person there who was cheating,” Tickey said.

“You’re still getting paid for this, right?”

“Yeah, for my time. He took all my memory cards and said I can add them to the invoice. There’s nothing to edit, so I’m not going to make as much as I thought.”

“That’s ridiculous. We should turn back.”

“And that’s exactly why I didn’t say anything until we’d made it this far. If my cop boyfriend starts throwing his weight around and causing trouble, he’ll tell his friends and I can kiss goodbye to jobs like this.”

“That’s no reason to let him treat you any way he wants. He’s not even famous.”

“Neither am I. Until the day I get my own exhibit or models start lining up in front of my studio, I’ll just have to deal with celebrities acting like divas. As long as he pays what he owes me, it doesn’t matter.”

“Maybe,” Albert admitted with a sigh, “but make sure you get your money. Any delay with payment, let me know.”

“You sound like a mobster.”

“I’m not doing anything wrong if I make him keep his end of the bargain.”

“The DCPJ only investigates serious crime.”

“To me, this _is,_ ” Albert said and cursed the fact that he was driving. Tickey always felt better if he got a kiss. Albert was sure he was annoyed by what had happened but was trying to take it in stride since he couldn’t do anything about it. There was nothing in the world that Albert hated more than that feeling. It was one of the main motivators behind all his scheming.

Tickey yawned and covered his mouth with the back of his hand. “Forget about it. I stayed up late last night and have been on my feet all day. I’m glad that job ended early. And thanks for picking me up.”

“Of course I came to get you.”

The reply he got from Tickey was a content hum and the sound of his jacket shuffling as he settled into the most comfortable position he could find. Albert turned up the heat, and after only a few moments in silence other than the quiet murmur of the car, he noticed that Tickey had dozed off.

There was nothing missing from his life, he realized. He was happier than he’d imagined was within his reach. Albert glanced at Tickey and turned that insight over in his head. He tried to chase the melancholy he’d felt earlier that day and found a question he’d never thought about before, not even when he’d been standing by Gaston’s grave.

Would Gaston have liked Tickey?

Considering Albert’s general luck in the universe, they would have gotten on splendidly and teamed up to poke fun at him. It would have been a pain to deal with, but Albert could imagine the positive effects, too. The way he sometimes caught Tickey looking at him when they were around his family made it all too clear that he felt sorry for him and wondered if he was lonely. He wasn’t, and he’d said so, but Tickey had learned to doubt his smile.

Albert guessed he deserved that for keeping so many things a secret from him for so long.

Some half an hour later, he gave Tickey a nudge to the shoulder to wake him up.

“Nhh… what?”

“Where should I take you? Your place?”

“No, I want to go home.”

“What?”

He didn’t get an answer. Tickey had fallen back asleep. Most likely, he hadn’t been properly awake in the first place. Maybe that was for the best. His answer had left Albert dazed with surprise, and he needed a moment to gather his thoughts.

Their relationship hadn’t started as one, just as casual sex between two men who were compatible enough that they wanted to do it again. They’d both tried to keep it from becoming a commitment, but they’d still found themselves wanting to spend more time together, and not just to have sex. Seeing Tickey happy had become the most fulfilling indulgence in Albert’s life.

At the back of his mind, he’d always thought that if they broke up, Tickey would be back on his feet in no time. He was such an independent soul that even after they’d decided to give dating a try, Albert hadn’t imagined he took it very seriously. He’d made it clear he was just looking to have fun. And yet he’d let it slip that he saw Albert’s place as a home. Their home. Realizing the weight of that was both euphoric and daunting. 

He’d never made it this far with anyone. Losing this would hurt more than anything.

Alber turned off the engine when they reached the parking garage under his apartment building.

“We’re here,” he said and reached over to shake Tickey’s shoulder.

“Where?”

“At my place. You said you wanted to come here.”

“Huh? Did I?”

“I can take you to yours if you want.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I just can’t remember. I must be more tired than I thought.”

“You shouldn’t overdo it.”

“Ha, look who’s talking. There’s going to be less work for me in January, so I just have to soldier on right now.”

At no point had Tickey asked if Albert was bothered that he wasn’t planning to spend even one full day with him when he finally had a longer period of time off work. That was one of their few similarities. Most people would have seen it as a threat to the relationship, and in the beginning Albert had been sure his work would eventually be what drove them apart. It had been a relief to see that Tickey was just as ambitious in his field and that they could be reasonable when the other put his job first.

“What do you have planned for tomorrow? I can give you a ride, so there’s no need to carry your equipment inside,” he said.

“I’m helping Emily with her Christmas stand. People can stop by and take cute holiday photos. I’m going to need some more things from my place.”

“That’s fine. I’ll drive you around all day if you want.”

“Oh? What did I do to deserve a personal chauffeur?”

“I was thinking of doing it just because, but if you really want to earn it, I can think of something you can do for me tonight.”

Tickey raised his brows suggestively, but then another yawn pulled at his features. “Sounds like fun, but I’m too tired. I don’t want to fall asleep in the middle of anything.”

“That’d be more embarrassing for me than you.”

As soon as they stepped in and Tickey saw the apartment, he let out an appreciative sound. “You’ve cleaned up in here.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Maybe not to you, but lately I feel like I’ve been spending more time here than you. Even if you can’t see the difference, it just feels right when the dust is gone. Where did you put the towel I left on the couch? I need a shower.”

“In the laundry. It was starting to smell. Take one of mine.”

“Did you know that you own only two towels? You need to get more.”

They should go buy them together. During the elevator ride from the parking garage, Albert had made up his mind that he’d ask Tickey if he wanted to move in. They should change the place a little, get some new things and make the apartment look like theirs and not his. He’d never done that with anyone before.

For Tickey’s sake, Albert had taught himself how to brew tea that wasn’t just hot water and a tea bag. He was just finishing up adding sugar to the pot and leaving it on heat when Tickey came from the shower, tying a bathrobe around his waist.

“Hey, you’ve got chocolate. I’ll have some.”

“I didn’t know you’d be here, so I didn’t get any of the flavors you like.”

“It’s still chocolate,” Tickey said and took a bite out of one that had a coffee filling. He made a disappointed face but ate it anyway. He dug into the bag to see what else was there and pulled out the model kit. “What’s this?”

“Oh, that. I already forgot about it. Just something I grabbed for myself when I was shopping.”

Tickey gave him a strange look. “If you wanted a present, I could have gotten you something.”

“It’s not that. It was a silly whim. I thought I might give it a try now that I have some time.”

“It’s kind of cute,” Tickey said and turned the box around in his hands before putting it aside and reaching for another chocolate. He pursed his lips in thought and didn’t try his tea after Albert gave him a glass.

“What?” Albert asked.

“Does it bother you that we don’t get to do anything together over the holidays? I can’t remember when you last had this much time off.”

“Well, no denying that I’d rather be somewhere with you, but I’m not mad about it. Of course you’re working this time of the year. I get it.”

“We’ll plan better next time.”

This was the moment to say he was glad they could have even this, and that if they were living together, there’d be a lot more small moments to share without having to plan anything. Albert doubted Tickey would agree right away, but if he could get him to think about it, that was half a victory.

“What’s with the toy, though? I thought you were into antiques and stuff.”

“Like I said, it was a whim. I used to get something like this from my uncle every Christmas and birthday until I was twelve.” It had gotten monotonous, but at least Gaston had tried to think about what he might like. One year, he’d given him art supplies, no doubt hoping for him to discover he was an artist like almost everyone else in the family. When those stayed untouched in the closet, the following year had seen another model kit.

“Aw, that sounds like fun.”

“I guess.” 

Albert remembered how Gaston would come over to inspect the finished model to see if he’d done a good job. He’d meant well and always said something about how important it was to have a steady hand and an eye for detail, but Albert had just been annoyed every time. Growing up, he’d felt that every little thing he did was being evaluated and compared to someone else’s achievements.

“Was he the one who passed away earlier this year?”

“Yes, that’s him.” 

Albert hadn’t felt much at the funeral. He’d said goodbye to Gaston years before and come to terms with not having him in his life anymore. That he was dead changed nothing, and he’d soon stopped thinking about him and focused on luring Lupin into his trap. 

Except that one thing had changed, as he’d realized earlier that day. With Gaston gone, there were only a handful of people left in the world that knew who he was under his spotless cover. For the most part, it was exactly what he’d been aiming for, but there was no denying that he’d felt a little rootless as he’d wandered among the people and their Christmas cheer that day. He was happy with the life he’d built - not inherited! - and he’d always taken some petty pleasure from knowing that Gaston was watching him and thinking about him.

Now that he was gone, Albert couldn’t help but feel like he’d lost the most important thread that still connected him to his old life. He hated that he was feeling something akin to regret over that.

“Albert? Are you okay?”

“Of course. Why?”

“You never talk about your family. Your Uncle Gaston is the only one you’ve ever mentioned by name. If you want to talk about him -”

“No, it’s not that,” Albert said. He noticed the annoyed look on Tickey’s face over being cut off. One of these days, they were going to have a fight if he didn’t start opening up about his past. There were some things he would never tell him, but Tickey deserved to know more than right now. 

“I’ll tell you something later. I’ll even take you to where I grew up if you want. It just has to wait until a better time.”

Tickey had a stunned look on his face. “Wow, that’s a big change. Are you sure nothing happened today?”

“Completely. I’ve just been feeling a little sentimental since morning.”

“You should do that more often. I want to know more about you, even if it’s not a fun story,” Tickey said.

Albert was suddenly glad he hadn’t actually asked him to move in with him yet. There were things he had to explain to Tickey first. It might be a good idea to plan a short vacation together and visit a handful of places. It’d sound unreal if they were sitting in his apartment in Paris, but he might understand if he could see what Albert was talking about.

“After the holidays,” he promised.

“Which means…? That could be next month or in ten years.”

“I’ll have to think about it.”

“Too vague. You’re just going to say there’s too much work and forget all about it.”

“Before April. I promise.”

“I’ll remember that. If you break that promise, I’m going to get really mad at you.”

“Probably not as mad as I will be if you don’t stop eating my chocolates. You’ve finished half the box,” Albert said.

“Have I? Oh, I guess so. And I didn’t even like them very much.”

“What a waste,” Albert said with an irked grimace.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you a new box tomorrow. As thanks for giving me a ride.”

Tickey had had a long day, so he said he was going to bed as soon as he finished his tea. Though he wasn’t tired, Albert decided to join him once he was done tidying up the kitchen and hiding the rest of the chocolates.

When he was ready and entered the bedroom, Tickey was already asleep. Albert got undressed in silence and slipped under the covers as carefully as he could so he wouldn’t wake him up. It was too dark to see, but his breathing never changed its steady rhythm.

He’d keep his promise. He’d tell Tickey where he’d come from. No matter what happened to them in the future, he didn’t want to think back to these days and regret that he hadn’t done more. Albert had already left one life behind to get something better, but he couldn’t imagine what might be worth losing what he had now.


End file.
